


Remnant of Singularity F

by chquine



Category: Fate/Grand Order
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ambiguous/Open Ending, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2019-05-19 09:34:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14871257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chquine/pseuds/chquine
Summary: "In this world wrought by fire, there are three Masters tasked with saving the world."But that wasn't quite right.





	Remnant of Singularity F

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Fate or any of its related fandoms. I do not profit in any form or shape from the creation of this fictional piece. The views and opinions of the characters of this story, do not necessarily reflect the writer's.
> 
> That being said: enjoy!

"Master. Master."

  
Slowly, she opened her eyes and blinked rapidly to get used to the glaring light from the ceiling. As she did so, she made out an outline of a person: a mop of silvery white spikes, a pair of deeply colored blue blobs and an expanse of black that effectively cut the light from her. Before her consciousness could allow her to wonder, a name made itself known in her mind; it was accompanied by two more names that felt so close and yet so far.

  
_Lancer-class Servant, Karna of the Indian epic Mahabharata. Rider-class Servant, Saint Martha. Assassin-class Servant, Sasaki Kojirō._

  
The figure before her cleared out and she stared at Karna's face for a moment before finally asking: "Karna...?"

  
"It is a relief to see that you are unharmed, Master," he expressed bluntly. "I was afraid that you had been hurt more seriously than I thought." He stepped back as she sat up and the Master saw that they were in a bedroom. The decor was spartan, but the dresser, the chandelier, the cabinet and the bed frame had intricately carved details and the linens of the bed she was on were luxurious and soft.

  
"Where are we?"

  
"I am unable to say where, Master," Karna answered, glancing out the window for the fourth time since he came to. "It would be safe to say that we are somewhere in Japan, as the Rayshift dictated." His Master looked up from examining the foot that he had bound with a part of his cape, looking perplexed as if he had said something that was unfamiliar.

  
"Rayshifting?"

  
He blinked and asked: "Do you not remember Chaldea?"

  
She shook her head. The name felt foreign in her mind and the sensation made her feel a bit queasy. Taking a deep breath, she composed herself, focusing on the warm feeling wrapped around her ankle, where a dull ache emanated. Her unease returned when she realized she could not remember her own name. Karna sensed the shift in her emotions and asked: "Is something amiss, Master?"

  
"Do you remember my name?"

  
He opened his mouth to reply, but stopped when he realized that he was unable to recall that as well. Lancer then tried to recall as far back as Chaldea, the Rayshifting and the attack on their party as soon as they landed at Hokkaido, where Dr. Romani and Da Vinci detected a source of abnormal activity that was similar to the Singularity at Fuyuki, but seemingly smaller in magnitude. Dolls powered by prana rushed to their landing area when the Rayshift finished, and he could remember thinking how similar they were to the automaton models the Fujimaru twins spoke of when recalling their adventures across the timelines.

  
With a jolt, he realized that what he could recall stopped there. He was unable to remember the exact way the fight ensued and his next memory was regaining his bearings in the room they were currently at. His summoning at Chaldea also seemed to be inaccessible to him, but he could very well remember the facility along with the people and Servants that resided there.

  
"It would seem that someone tampered with our memories," Lancer explained. "I can only remember the events pertaining to the Rayshift and Chaldea itself. Your name, as well as our first meeting remains a mystery to me, Master." He could not remember being attacked by a magus and he could not sense any form of magecraft that was taking effect on his person.

  
His Master nodded and curled a finger under her chin in contemplation. "Can you tell me what you remember? You said something about Chaldea and this Rayshifting."

  
"Chaldea is a facility that is used to right the wrongs humanity has committed through the Holy Grail wars," Karna explained. "To achieve such an end, they have devised the method called Rayshifting to return to the time where Singularities - irregular events that were dependent on the Grail - appeared. Chaldea employed two Masters who were working tirelessly to retrieve these Grails scattered throughout the altered history and change the course of the future." He paused and gestured at her, "You are different, Master. You were sent here along with Rider, Assassin and I to ensure that no trace of the Singularity present in Fuyuki city was left in Japan."

  
The Master nodded, lost in her thoughts and though Karna hoped that his explanation would be enough for her to regain her memories, he could tell that she was still just as clueless. "So we were sent here basically to make sure that the retrieval job went well," she mused. "And we were attacked," he nodded in affirmation. "The way I see it, there are two possible reasons for all this," she gestured to the room in general and held up a finger.

"First is that someone knew we were coming and planned to keep us from finishing this whole clean-up operation." A second finger shot up and she continued, "It's also possible that we were lured here by what we're supposed to clean up and really planned to trap us here."

  
"The world outside Chaldea is nothing more than a lamentable reminder of what the Grail brought in its wake, Master," Lancer told her, recalling the flames that devoured Fuyuki as he and countless other Heroic spirits watched from the Throne of Heroes. "It is unlikely that a magus or any other entity would consciously seek to trap one of the only remaining Masters who will eventually revive this world."

  
She glanced at him. "The Grail itself can't do that?"

  
"The Grail is an amassing of prana, Master," Lancer said. "I have not heard of it possessing any form of cognition or consciousness." She curled a finger under her chin again and began thinking when he felt a foreign presence materialize by the door of their room. He stepped forward, readying his lance and said, "Master, stay behind me."

  
She stood up, keeping herself behind Lancer, registering the dull ache that came from her foot. It was not extremely debilitating, but if she had to run, she would not be able to do so effectively. The door opened, revealing a white mannequin with overly long arms, looking too similar to the ones that had attacked them when they arrived. Its face however, had a face drawn onto it: a pair of beady black eyes and a red smile. In its arms was a bundle of cloth knotted at the top and with swift movements, it deposited the item on top of the dresser. It bowed and left as soon as it came; she had half a mind to check if the door was locked, but Lancer beat her to it. The knob jiggled, but was evidently locked.  
She approached the dresser and unbound the knot on the cloth. Inside was a jet black double breasted suit with golden buttons, red trimmings and a matching red tie. A dress was also there: cream and with blue lace for sleeves.

  
"They gave us clothes..." she mentioned, marvelling at the soft fabric of the dress.

  
"How shall we proceed, Master?"

  
"These clothes seem like an invitation, don't you think?" She grinned, making Lancer blink.

  
"You're enjoying this are you not?" It was not a question. The shift in his Master's countenance was not new to him and the widening of her grin only confirmed his suspicions. He stepped towards the dresser and saw the dress she was holding in between her thumb and forefinger. The color reminded him of his brother and it unsettled him.

  
"Well... We can't get out," she said, gesturing at the door. "And we have no information. So..."

  
"You want us to follow the enemy's plan?"

  
"So we know what to do," she replied. "I have two other Servants, but I'm not sure where they are." The Command Seals on her right hand looked like a tattoo inked with blood. She could use two to forcibly teleport Rider and Assassin to her, but it was a huge risk especially since everything was so uncertain. It was possible that whoever confined them would interfere with the function of her Command Seals and completely waste its use.

  
Besides, she had absolute trust in Karna, something she knew she did not have with either Martha or Kojirō. "The two of us will have to do," she added with a nod.

  
"What are your orders, Master?"

  
"We'll get all dolled up," she grinned. "And crash whatever party our enemy had in mind for us."

  
~FGO~

  
The room he was imprisoned at was dark and stank of must and mildew. Kojirō could feel the steel of his sword pressed against his back, goading him in his helpless state. Both his wrists were shackled to the wall; above his head, forcing him to stand up.

He could remember being attacked by white dolls powered by prana the moment he arrived at Japan with his Master, Saint Martha and Karna. He had pushed his Master away from an incoming attack, however she had fallen from a height, causing Karna to speed after her. He and Saint Martha had fought off as many as the dolls as they could manage until she was forced to summon Tarasque. The dolls had been defeated, but it triggered a spell of some sort, separating them and leaving Kojirō to the mercy of the fresh wave of dolls thay had assaulted him afterwards.

He could still feel the bond between him and his Master, but unfortunately, he was unable to ascertain the status of Lancer and Saint Martha. They had both disappeared along with his Master when the spell had activated and he could only assume that one of them was protecting their Master, otherwise he would have returned. Kojirō frowned when he felt his thoughts halting there. At the back of his mind, he could tell that despite his death in this world, he had a place to be reanimated at, but the recollection stopped there. He had tried going around it, since, in his experience, some magi overlooked the small details of their spells, but so far, his efforts of deeply thinking of it, rapidly shifting through his thoughts and suddenly bringing it to the forefront were futile.

He was wrenched out of his thoughts when the sliding of the metal door before him reached his ears. Heavy taps on the smooth stone of his cell resounded in the otherwise silent room and Kojirō struggled to sense his visitor's presence. To a warrior such as him - even a false one - the people around him, Servants and Masters alike, had a unique presence that he could use to identify them even from afar. As an Assassin-class Servant, it was quite useful when paired with his Presence Concealment since it helped him determine the opportune time to strike. His visitor, however, emitted no such presence and that vexed him. Even the undead and the dolls controlled by magecraft had a distinct, yet common, presence that they emitted; other Assassins like him were recognizable once their Presence Concealment had been deactivated.

And yet this entity before him felt like nothing; its footsteps were the only things signifying that it was even there.

  
"You must be bored out of your mind here," the figure spoke, its voice deep and rich. Still Assassin felt nothing, like the voice was coming from somewhere else and being projected to his cell. But that would not explain the footsteps.

"I do not enjoy being restrained like a criminal," Kojirō answered, hiding his unease with hostility.

"How ungrateful," the visitor mentioned. "Perhaps I should have allowed them to put you in a stasis anyway."

"Stasis?" Kojirō could not help but ask. He was not particularly good with words, able only to exaggerate what he deemed was pleasing to the eye, so he was only capable of following wherever his visitor leads the conversation. Assassin bore in mind though, that he needed to be cautious with what he said.

"Because the magecraft we put there had no effect on you," the voice answered. "Which begs the question: who are you?"

He debated on lying, but realized that he could use his... Visitor's curiosity. Assassin knew he needed to know where he was and find out if his Master was safe. "If I answer," he calmly started, "will you answer another question of mine?"

"Naturally," the voice answered. "Not that it would matter to a Servant imprisoned like you."

Kojirō kept his opinions to himself. He was sure he could find anything he could exploit and then he would make good use of the information he was about to get. With a heavy sigh, he replied, "I am Assassin-class Servant, Sasaki Kojirō. And I am tied more to the land of Japan than I am tied to my Master." A Servant like him should not have existed, however he had been summoned to fight in a Holy Grail War. And he relied not fully on the Servant that had summoned him, but more on land he had been tasked to protect.

"How... Convenient for your Master then," the visitor concluded. "It was right for our employer to be wary of her."

"Where is my Master?" He demanded.

"Right above us," the voice spoke. "She should be getting ready by now. The Playwright wanted full power on that part of the manuscript."

Kojirō, admittedly, did not understand what his visitor was saying. He was about to say something when the air shifted and a soft, airy, feminine voice spoke: "You have divulged enough. The Servant must be dealt with."

"He won't get away, Storyteller," the male voice said, brushing off the female visitor's concern. "Everything is going as planned."

"If so then the anomaly would have already been removed. Order would have been restored."

"It's rigidity like this that makes you disagreeable, Storyteller. The manuscript has not been compromised."

"Hold your tongue, Child," the female visitor snarled, her voice turning cold and chilly. Kojirō listened attentively, picking out the words as they did. Earlier the male voice mentioned a Playwright and he would call this female voice Storyteller. His knowledge was not quite sufficient to figure out who they were, but perhaps his Master could find out. He recoiled when he felt an oppresively cold presence approach him. "I shall be the one to grant Humanity's wish. Such is the way of things before you ever came to be."

She began chanting in a cold voice, the words were foreign and Assassin could not recognize the language. He could feel the prana forming at the command of her words and already a sigil formed at her feet. "Fear not," she said and through the din of the circle forming, he could hear the male visitor sigh. "You are without sin. You will not be punished when the anomaly has been severed from this world." She resumed her chanting and Kojirō could feel the chill in her voice settle on his limbs, numbing them. The cold climbed up until he could no longer feel his legs and soon, his entire lower extremity felt as though the were not a part of his body. He struggled on his restraints and only succeeded at making noises and straining his arms. His blade was still pressed against his back and if only he could grab a hold of it, he would be able to flee.

All the while, the Storyteller continued her chant and Kojirō started to lose feeling in his waist. The male visitor was silent and he contemplated on calling out to him. If nothing else, the male visitor seemed to be interested in him.

A low rumbling sound made the Storyteller pause in her chant and Assassin found himself releasing a breath he did not realize was held in his throat. He could still feel the lack of anything from the waist down, but at least the chill was not ascending further.

"Puppets of yours, Storyteller?" The male voice inquired. "I knew they weren't worth all that prana you expended. If you'd only let me strengthen them then they'd be more useful as canon fodder."

"Silence," the Storyteller said. "He might have forwarded the manuscript without our knowledge."

"The Playwright?" The male visitor scoffed. "He only serves himself. You should be well aware by now."

All of a sudden, something - Assassin presumed it was the wall before him - rumbled, once, twice and then the walls gave way, letting light stream into his cell. Then, he could feel his legs again and the sound of bricks falling on themselves reached his ears the same time the Storyteller clicked her tongue and the male voice chuckled.

"Assassin?" A woman's voice called out. Kojirō started.

"S-Saint Martha?!"  
When the glare subsided, Assassin saw that the Rider-class that his Master had brought with them was indeed standing atop the rubble of bricks. A black ratty cloak was wrapped around her shoulders and fastened with a knot. Her staff was absent and it was only then that Kojirō noticed that her knuckles were wrapped in white cloth and that her legs were even more exposed than usual. "Oh dear. Thank goodness I found you." She walked over to the bars confining him and pulled them apart, creating a gap large enough for her to step through. Kojirō just stared at her; he knew that the Saint was strong, but he had not expected this amount of strength.

"How did you get here...?" He managed, dumbfounded as she tore the manackles from the wall and his wrists like they were made of paper.

"Perhaps it was His will for me to find you," she smiled.

"What happened to your staff?"

Martha paused, blinked and admitted, "When I woke up, it was already gone. It must have been stolen while I was unconscious somehow."

It was remarkable that, even without her staff, Martha could still fight as well as she did, if not more. "What do we do?" She suddenly asked.

"Find our Master," he replied, sheathing his sword and straining his ears for any indication that the male visitor and the Storyteller were there. "I was told that she's somewhere above us."

She nodded, wrapping the tattered cloak around her. "Let's go then!"

"Wait a moment." He shed off the outer vest of his samurai garment and placed it on the scantily clad Rider. He fastened the knots and stepped back to admire how it made her look slightly more presentable. Martha raised her eyes towards him and smiled gratefully.

"Thank you, Assassin."

"Yeah..." he muttered. For the first time he noticed that it was snowing outside. The Storyteller seemed adamant to keep him from making contact with the Master, so it would be prudent to prepare for any opposition they might face. He noticed the wind flowing from two directions: the hole Martha had made on the wall and what seemed to be a passageway to his right.

"This way," he said, hoping that his instincts were right and they were heading to where the Master was. Martha nodded and followed closely behind him; he was almost ashamed to take comfort in the sound of her footsteps right behind him.

~FGO~

She paused from brushing her hair when she felt the attack on one of her Servants. Her ankle throbbed, but not too terribly; the cloth Karna had wrapped around it helped.

_Assassin was attacked..._

It was the first attack she actually felt since she came to. Without a doubt, Assassin was not helpless, so whoever had attacked him was in for a surprise. But she had to wonder why only Assassin had been subjected to the attack. When she felt the assault cease, she assumed that Assassin took care of the threat.

"Is something amiss, Master?" Karna asked, emerging from the bathroom, fully dressed in the coat and tie the doll had delivered into their room. Her breath caught in her throat and she tried to keep the blush from spreading on her cheeks.

"Master?" He asked again.

She bolted upright. "Huh? Ah! W-well..." she cleared her throat, looking everywhere except his face. "Assassin was attacked, but it looks like he won..."

"I see... And Rider?"

"Rider.... Ah..." she paused a bit and tried to concentrate on Rider's presence. "She's with Assassin." That at least was a source of comfort for her.

Karna agreed and studied the dress his Master was wearing. He felt a sudden shift in her emotions and a heavy pink flush on her cheeks. It reminded him of something.

"Wh-why are you..." she looked away, blush intensifying, "Why are you looking at me... Like that?"

"I apologize for causing you discomfort, Master," he said, "I just thought that the color of your dress did not suit you."

She blinked. "Oh... Uh... What color would be better?"

He answered without hesitation: "Red, Master."

Her face heated up further and she stuttered, "Wh-what-what are y-you saying?"

"I'm merely stating the truth, Master," Karna told her. And she could not decide if that was better or worse.

"E-even so!" She insisted weakly. Her cheeks were aflame; of that she was sure. The situation felt all too familiar to her and as curious as she was, the Master decided that her heart was not ready for that.

Despite not seeing him, she could hear the amusement in his voice.

"I shall cease teasing you, Master."

The door opened again and this time, the doll opened it wide, revealing a large chandelier hanging from the ceiling and the din of cutlery and people. It seemed to be gesturing for them to step out of the room.

As per usual, Karna stepped in between the Master and the doll.

"Into the lion's mouth, I guess..." she muttered, placing a hand on his upper arm. It was a gesture of dependence on him despite how awkward she felt just putting it there. The least he could do was clasp her hand. Lancer was not a Servant of words and she understood that. The fact that he went as far as to assure her spoke volumes to the Master. She took a deep breath and withdrew her hand on Lancer's arm.

Outside the room, the air was oppressively heavy with the sickly sweet smell of wine and perfume. When she listened closely, the chatter sounded more like a conglomeration of gibberish sounds, though for all she knew, it could have been some dead language like Latin. Her extensive knowledge of language only applied to Japanese and English. As they neared the staircase, the chatter slowly faded and it was replaced by silence just as oppressive as the smell that now dominated the air. The doll paused by the staircase and stepped to the side, as if motioning Karna and his Master to descend before it. Lancer turned to her in askance and she took another deep breath before nodding, letting the Servant walk ahead.

Much to her chagrin, a string orchestra started playing and the people were actually dolls similar to the one that had brought them the clothes and led them out. They were dressed in varying styles and colors of voluminous ballgowns and tuxedos and top hats. On their faces were crudely drawn beady black eyes and red lips. She walked a lot more slowly than Karna who was four steps ahead of her. Either from her injury or the weakness of her knees, she seemed to pause in every step.

 _You're gathering info... Don't lose your cool,_ she reminded herself.

Karna must have sensed her discomfort because he turned fully to her and offered a hand. She should have politely declined; he would not take offense. But she reached out and rested her palm on his. The effect was instantaneous and the Master felt her unfounded worries get washed away by a sense of calm. They descended the last few steps slowly, albeit faster than the pace she had set on her own. As soon as they reached the floor, the dolls resumed their intelligible chatter, paying the newcomers no mind. The Master sighed in relief.

"Does anything feel weird to you?" She asked. "Aside from all these dolls?"

"I feel nothing hostile, Master," he responded.

"Maybe we should split up." The suggestion was absurd. She was not that good of a magus and if any of the dolls was hostile and armed to attack her then she would be completely defenseless. Her Command Seals came to mind and if anything happened, she supposed she could just call Lancer to her side. Speaking of her Servant, she could tell he disapproved of the idea as well.

"I'll use a Command Seal to call you if anything happens," she promised. "Or I could stay within earshot and just scream." The idea sat better with her. She did not want to use her Command Seals so carelessly and besides, the hall they were at was not all that big. Even so, she could tell that Lancer disapproved.

It was a surprise when he relented. "As you command, Master. What am I to look for?"

"Anything suspicious." Her eyes landed on the lined buffet table and as enticing as the food looked, she had to mark it as suspicious. "Don't eat or drink anything. It might be a trap too. I don't know if these dolls will try to talk to us or interact, but if they do then just politely deflect them or something..."

"I understand, Master." With that they headed in opposite directions, though both made sure that they were within earshot. She tried not to make direct contact with any of the dolls; it certainly helped that they behaved like actual people in a party: moving about and minding their own business.

The walls were the first thing that came to mind. It was more of an instinct rather than any real theory that made her inspect the walls. They were made of wood, burnished and polished; when she reached out to touch it, the grainy surface made her conclude it was actual wood. Nothing felt off, though she was almost certain that a very skilled magus or maybe a Caster Servant could construct a workshop that could be mistaken as an ordinary mansion.  
From over her shoulder, she glanced at Karna and saw that he was watching the string orchestra that was underneath the second floor balcony they had walked on. She had to tear her eyes away as the dolls themselves were not holding the instruments, but the strings were visibly vibrating and the violin bows were moving. She turned and suddenly collided with someone else.

"Pardon me; I was not looking at where I was going."

Before her stood a tall man wearing a white coat with royal blue trimmings. His skin was dark, much like his hair and his eyes. As the Master stared at him, she felt like she should know him, but all attempts to bring up that information was met with resistance. His face lit up and he grabbed the hand where her Command Seals were.

"Ah! You're the guest of honor. It's a pleasure to meet you." His grip was strong and his hands were remarkably calloused. It reminded her of Karna's hands: the hands of a warrior who had been through plenty of trials. Immediately she wondered if this person was a Servant.

"Will you allow me to dance with you?"

"Huh?" She blinked and looked around. Surely enough, the other dolls were partnering up and taking up the majority of the floor. She was unable to see Lancer, but felt comfort in the fact that she could feel him nearby. "I uh... I'm not sure."

"I will not take much of your time..." he said pleasantly and yet shivers ran down the Master's spine. Her instincts, for all they were worth, screamed at her that this man was a Servant. Her lack of knowledge in magecraft put her in significant peril, but even with rudimentary knowledge of magecraft, she still would have been prey in the jaws of the predator. With a sudden turn of her head, she glanced behind her again, in hopes of seeing Karna, but was suddenly aghast when she saw that what used to be wooden walls were now an angry hue of red with black tendrils swirling around the expanse. Turning back to the man that held her hand, she demanded: "Let me go."

"I cannot," his voice lowered and his eyes sharpened, like steel meant to cut in a single strike. "You are the guest of honor, after all." His grip on her hand tightened and the Master winced.

"Now then... Let us dance..."

~FGO~

Another doll slammed against the wall before it promptly fell limp in a heap on the floor. Martha was about to wheel around and punch the doll behind her when she heard the telltale swish of Kojirō's sword.

All around them were remains of the dolls that came to attack them; as they ascended the stairs, the more their enemies came at them. Both she and Assassin took it as a sign that they were heading the right direction.

However the more pressing problem was that they were feeling slightly exhausted. It had been a while since Martha had to rely on her fists in battle and she seemed to be expending prana at an alarming rate while receiving it at a snail's pace. Assassin seemed to be aware of it as well; sweat beaded his brows and his breath was heavy.

"Are you alright, Assassin?" She asked. Her power was limited without the staff, but she was still capable of granting divine protection and healing.

"I am fine, Rider," he answered. "You should save your prana. I'm sure we'll encounter more enemies." She nodded.

They continued ascending, albeit slower than before. All of a sudden she was struck by a thought. "You seemed to be held captive when I arrived," she stated. "What happened there?" They had been unable to talk about his apparent captivity since the dolls started attacking them relentlessly.

"Do you remember any form of magecraft that activated after you summoned Tarasque?"

Martha blinked and tried to recall if she had summoned the dragon. "I thought something went wrong with the Rayshift."

Kojirō frowned and explained, "I can't remember anything before we arrived here. I found out that it's an effect of the magecraft our enemies used. One of them is called Storyteller and she said something about granting Humanity's wish."

Martha was familiar with what was called the Fuyuki Grail War and she loathed how people killed each other just for a fake vessel that twisted wishes beyond recognition. The Lord's miracles were for everyone; He did not come to earth to save only those who are righteous. This imitation was a heresy to the salvation He freely gave and as such, Martha had no desire for it.

"Fulfill Humanity's wish?" She huffed, throwing her hair behind her shoulder. "It sounds like one of those grails the magi kill each other for."

"This Storyteller also seems to be the one responsible for the dolls and the magecraft that separated us from Master," Kojirō added. "She did not seem pleased with the results, though. She said that putting me under stasis would move things along."

"Stasis?" Martha echoed as she paused. "Wouldn't that make you unable to heed Master's commands?"

Assassin paused at that and said, "I wasn't able to consider that... It would make sense for them to want to separate us from Master, but why?"

Martha barely heard him as she stretched out her hand and felt an unyielding metal door in front of her. She rapped her knuckles against it a few times and readied a fist. "I suppose we can ask them when we meet them." Without another word, she punched the door, managing to dent it, but not breaking it open like she had planned. Assassin stepped back a few paces, allowing her space. Rider drew her fist back and took a wide stance. With a loud cry, she punched the door again and she was sure Assassin winced as a large misshapen hole formed on the metal door, a testament of the power in her punch. The sound of string instruments reached their ears. A short hall stretched before them, empty. Rider was filled with foreboding, but they stepped out anyway. She took the lead while Assassin followed closely with his sword drawn.

The ballroom before them was filled with white dolls wearing elaborate dresses and suits. Casting her gaze around, Martha spotted the telltale pale hair and skin of the Hero of Charity. "Lancer!" She called.

Abruptly, the music stopped and all the dolls turned to Martha and Kojirō's direction. Even the ones with their backs to the two Servants, swivelled their heads towards them, making an eerie sight. Rider cringed. To think that she had been so proud of her caution before entering the ballroom. Readying her fists, Rider prepared for an assault. An assault by these dolls was nothing new, but she needed to be careful of her prana consumption.

Lancer donned his armor, dismissing the formal wear he had on and he brandished his spear. Then the lights all flickered and died, from the chandeliers to the wall lamps and the tall stand lamps. She felt Assassin clasp her shoulder and squeeze. It heightened her senses, but also calmed her. Nothing seemed to move or breathe and the darkness made it dreary.

"Hero of Charity!"

A single ray of light shone down on the unconscious figure of their Master, clad in a cream dress with royal blue lace as sleeves, and she was sitting on an ornate chair with elaborately carved armrests on both sides. Her face betrayed no discomfort and Rider would not have felt the danger if not for the rope that bound her wrists to the armrests. Behind their unconscious Master was a man with dark skin that matched his hair and eyes and he wore the same color palette as their Master.

She scarcely had any time to take in the information as Lancer sailed through the darkness, the gold of his armor glinting against the flames of his Mana Burst, and attacked the man behind their Master.

~FGO~

"Hero of Charity!"

Karna's entire being shook as soon as he heard those words. He knew the owner of that voice; it was the voice of a true hero who gained much from his actions. It was the voice of the only brother he had vowed not to kill on behalf of their mother. His rage took on the shape of flames, briefly illuminating his features before he sailed through the air and felt resistance on the other side.

"How unbecoming," he chastised. "Are you endangering your Master?"

With a grunt, Lancer deflected the bow that the Archer Servant had used to receive his attack. The lights went on again and the dolls began moving, their wooden joints clacking as they went. In the light, he could clearly see the Servant before him.

The Endowed Hero, Arjuna.

"What have you done to my Master?" Karna demanded. Even as he spoke, he could feel his blood boiling at his half-brother's mere presence.

"I've not harmed her, Hero of Charity," Arjuna answered, his voice all together malicious and calm. "I was just asked to keep her away from you until my Master finishes her task."

"You will return her, Archer. Or I shall slay you where you stand."

This earned a loud laugh from the Archer. His voice echoed through the hall and overpowered the din of the moving dolls behind them. Lancer remembered that laugh; it was something he knew to recognize immediately. His grip on his weapon tightened. He had Indra's spear and his golden armor; he would not lose to him this time around.

"This devotion, this... Loyalty you display has not changed," Arjuna remarked. "Tell me, Hero of Charity, have you sworn eternal loyalty to this one?" He gestured to the unconscious Master beside him. "Did you promise victory to this one, with nothing but your services in return? Did you feed her lies of not wanting the Grail?"

"I've fed my Master no lies," Karna replied. "I do not desire the Grail."

"Is that why you humiliated Draupadi?" Arjuna sneered. At the mention of the woman who scorned him, Karna's eyes narrowed. Draupadi was Arjuna's wife, a woman who rejected and humiliated Karna after knowing of his parentage. "Do you remember, Hero of Charity, how you stripped her of her clothing for your lord and his household to see, all because she cast you aside like an unloved trinket after finding out that you were the son of a slave?"

Karna relaxed his stance; not perceiving the Archer Servant as an immediate threat. "That is neither here nor there, Archer."

"Be that as it may, Hero of Charity, your fate would have been far better if you had assumed your rightful place," Arjuna replied. "If you had been allowed to live in the palace, you would not have needed to be scorned or cursed."

Lancer stared at the Archer. While they had been alive, none of them paid attention to the other. It was an inescapable fact that they were destined to fight each other, but that they filled what the other lacked had been overlooked in their past lives. Lancer had the skill and Archer had the prestige.

"You speak truly, Archer," Karna answered. "I would not have earned your wife's and the world's scorn had I assumed my place as the queen's son. The Grail would have ensured that I met a kinder fate and a better end if I so wished." He paused. Lancer believed his life to be fulfilled; humans were born side by side with adversity, and it was up to them to decide how to use it. Karna had been abandoned by his mother and scorned by the rest of the world for being a slave, he had been cursed plenty of times due to his tongue, impulsive actions and the desire to be better and in the end, he met his demise. There was nothing he found wanting in life, not because he was selfless, but because he knew he had lived his life the way he wanted to. In this next life, what he wanted was to let his Master live in the same way he had: not perfectly, but without regrets upon its end. "But Archer, your fixation on my fate bellies your own inner turmoil."

"The Endowned Hero," Lancer continued, "you were not left wanting and everything you wished, you received. You were the epitome of a hero and was loved by all. And yet here you are, concerning yourself over the fate of an enemy that you triumphed over. Were you dissatisfied with your life? Or was there something you found lacking in yourself and hoped to entice it in mine?"

Archer replied by nocking an arrow and loosing it, missing Lancer's ear by inches. "Silence," he said.

"I lived a full life, Endowned Hero. It was not without its mistakes and dishonor. Could you say the same for yourself?"

Another arrow was loosed and this time it aimed for the gleaming red jewel in the middle of Karna's chest. He raised his spear and prepared to deflect his opponent's arrows.

"I will repeat myself one more time, Archer," Karna said lowly, snatching one of Arjuna's divine arrows inches from his right eye. "Return my Master."

The corner of Archer's mouth curved into a smirk, one that he would normally not show others. Lancer felt that his opponent had released all of his inhibitions and was prepared to return his strikes with equal fervor.

"Come get her then, Hero of Charity."

~FGO~

Heroic Spirits had once been human; this was something she knew instinctively, even with her incomplete memories. With their previous human lives, it was but normal for them to have fallen short, commiting unspeakable acts or inflicting terror. That fact made the Master feel as though her Servants were not too far from her reach and that all she had to do was try and understand them.

Hearing the brief exchange between Archer and Lancer was unsurprising in its content, but it did leave her feeling relieved. Relief perhaps, that Karna was not as perfect in life as she thought.

It made her feel a little more confident in being his Master.

"Your champion remains unperturbed," the female voice wrapped around her mind. It was a Servant, she knew, but she had no idea who it was. "A lack of foresight on our part, I suppose. Had anyone else been with you, there would be nothing left of you."

She felt a surge of pride for her Servants as she watched them fight the dolls and the Archer-class Servant. As their Master, she needed to live up to the standard they were showing. The motives of their enemies had been undetermined, but she had the chance to ask: "So you want to kill me?"

"Killing you would have been an easy matter," the voice replied. "But Humanity demands something of greater magnitude than that."

She did not understand.

"Allow me to enlighten you," the voice said, as if reading her thoughts. "There are three remaining Masters in the world wrought with chaos and fire. Much like the world man bought with want for power, this world is abnormal and anomalous. Nothing is in its proper place and nothing will be until the anomaly has been severed from the body."

The Master blinked. It could have been a lie or something their enemy came up with to confuse her. Even with that in mind, the words and the ideas behind them made a twisted sort of sense, like this voice was speaking the truth and she was helpless to deny anything said about it.

"In this world, this story, there are three Masters left to restore order," the voice repeated, as if to emphasize it. "Yet in the real story, there is only one Master tasked with the saving of Humanity. The other Master, the twin, could have been overlooked for no story is truly set in stone, but another one was far too much. In the story wrought with fire, three Masters saving the world was something unacceptable, therefore something had to be done. Otherwise there will be nothing saved."

As if drenched in arctic waters, the Master understood what the idea meant. And it dropped a heavy weight on her stomach.

"You're lying." She could not be the anomaly; she refused to accept it.

"I do not expect you to receive my words, but your opinion on the matter is irrelevant. I will do as Humanity told. I will remove you, the anomalous Master of this story." The voice was calm, but frigid. The amount of conviction she had in her words was silent, resolute and twisted cold steel in her stomach.

"I was formed through the remnants of power granted to the city of Fuyuki through the Grail that hosted its denizens. From the moment I gained my bearings, I was made aware of my purpose: to spin the tale of your erasure. However," she chuckled, a hollow sound that sent chills to the Master's spine. "Your fortune preceedes you. A Servant whose ties lie with this land and a Servant who does not need her staff to fight... They have made your elimination difficult."

She was talking about Kojirō and Martha, the Master realized. The feeling in her fingers was returning and she was confident she could break free of the magecraft with the help of her Command Seal. Putting on her best cocksure smile, the Master said, "Maybe you shouldn't have underestimated me."

"Yes. I should not have underestimated you," the voice conceeded. "It was naught but foolish to think that none but I could fulfill your erasure. Worry not child." A chilling hand pressed against the Master's cheek. "I will remove you soon enough. Archer is about to remove your tethers: your Servants, for you. Once he is done, it will not take long."

The Command Seals on her hand glowed brightly and almost simultaneously, she heard a Noble Phantasm being evoked:

"Pashupata!"

Immediately, she realized that she would not be using her Command Seals to escape.

~FGO~

Sweat visibly beaded Rider's brow as she continued fighting off the dolls. Assassin had to admit that while her fighting style was graceless, it was a beauty of its own. He also had to admit that pulverizing their limbs or torsos was quicker than his multiple slashes. Lancer was still fighting the Archer-type Servant and from what Kojirō could surmise, the two had history.  
He glanced from behind his shoulder and saw the two Servants hurtling towards them at high speeds. Tackling Saint Martha to the ground, he felt the room shake as Lancer and Archer exchanged more blows.

"Rider, I think we should secure our Master." He motioned to the still-unconscious female bound to her chair. With all the shaking Lancer and Archer's battle was making, they might unwittingly injure her with debris.

She nodded, punching aside a doll and clearing a path to their Master. Assassin could tell that she was getting exhausted and quickened his slashes. He stood behind, allowing her to reach their Master first and standing before them to cut down any of those dolls approaching them.

"She's... Under some sort of spell," Saint Martha voiced out, sounding lost and forlorn. An unpleasant expression twisted her usually serene face and he knew, if their situation were less dire, she would clear her throat and check herself. "I don't know how to-,"

The ground shook, forcing Assassin to lower his center. A bright blinding light was before them and it was followed by Archer's loud voice.

"Pashupata!"

All of a sudden, Karna fell into place beside them. "Assassin," he said sternly. "Take Master and get as far as you can. Archer's Noble Phantasm has not been released and you, lacking any form of Divinity, has the highest chance of survival."

Kojirō glanced at the two Servants with him; Karna was the sun of a sun god and Saint Martha was someone of a lower divinity due to her ties with the Messiah. While he was fast, it was highly unlikely that he could get away from the Noble Phantasm's range with their Master in his arm. "I take it that you will be occupied with this Archer Servant?"

"Indeed," Karna replied, sounding a bit frustrated in the Assassin's ears. Lancer turned to Saint Martha asking, "Might I trouble you to support me while Archer attacks?"

She stood and there, illuminated by divine white and blue light and dressed in tattered rags and Kojirō's vest, she was breathtakingly radiant. "My prana will not last, unfortunately. However..." she stepped in front of them, knelt down and clasped her hands together. "I am capable of stopping his attack. Please direct his aim for a moment. I will not take long." With that she closed her eyes and prana began to amass around her. It attracted the wooden dolls and Kojirō was quick to deal with them. They were fortunate that Archer had not fully released his Noble Phantasm yet. Lancer nodded once before sailing through the air and attacking Archer. It would not dispel the activated Noble Phantasm, but it would buy them time. From behind him, he could hear Saint Martha evoke her own Noble Phantasm in a gentle but firm voice:

" _O Dragon of hatred; he who knew naught of love and brought forth death and ruin._

  
_Know the love of the Lord, know of His salvation and heed my call._

  
_Come unto my hand and let thy body be that of a weapon._

  
_Let thy body be torn, purified and restored._

  
_Let thy body be as true as gold, tried from a thousand burning fires._

  
_Let thy body be that of a weapon, to protect and love that which had been lavished with much hate._

  
_Come forth from the stars! Tarasque_!"

From her hands, the dragon's shield formed, a mighty and terrifying shell that the slim Servant held securely with one hand. It seemed like the shield was incomplete as prana continuously ran out in blue streams from the edges, like a frayed hem. Saint Martha gritted her teeth as some of the dolls crashed against the shield and sent her back every so slightly. Assassin decapitated those within his reach, but she was already calling for Lancer in a haggard voice.

As soon as he landed behind her, he took the chair their Master was tied to and braced himself against Saint Martha's back. He noticed the Command Seals on their Master's hand glowing and had no time to think on it as Archer's Noble Phantasm was released.

"Disappear!"

"Don't take me lightly!"

The light roared and deafened Assassin. Everything was awash in white and he briefly thought that the darkness of his cell was preferable over this. Before he lost his sight, he saw one of their Master's Command Seals fading, leaving mere indents in their wake. In his mind's eye, he could see Martha, standing steadfast with Tarasque's shell as her shield, her hair flying in all directions as her eyes gave no sign of retreat or surrender.

It was truly a magnificent sight.

Then like waking from a turbulent dream, Assassin slowly regained his senses: first his sight then his hearing. Debris cluttered the ballroom and pieces of wood from the dolls surrounded them. Their Master was pressed against Lancer's chest; the position was quite awkward as she was still bound to the chair. When his eyes travelled further, he saw Saint Martha's shoulders rise and fall rapidly. Prana was leaking out of her body, making her translucent in the candlelight. She released the shield and fell forward, stopping only when she dug her palms to the ground.

He felt, rather than saw, an arrow heading straight for her and with two swift steps, Kojirō closed the distance and slashed the arrow in half. Frowning, he noticed that the Archer Servant was also starting to fade.

"How uncouth," he muttered. Lancer stood beside him, spear on the ready.

"It would seem that our battle is not fated to end here, Archer," Lancer spoke.

"It would seem so," Archer conceeded. "You are victorious for now, Hero of Charity. My Master will do the rest."

A sound of acknowledgement reverberated from the Lancer's chest. He turned away from the fading Archer and towards their Master. "Farewell, Arjuna."

"I'll... Head on ahead too..." came Saint Martha's subdued voice. It was beautiful too, Kojirō thought, how this incredibly strong woman could be beaten and yet still be breathtaking. "Please... Take care of our Master..."

"Of course," Lancer answered. "You can rest easy, Rider."

"Thank you." She smiled and turned to Kojirō. "I suppose I should return your garment to you."

"There is no need," he said before he could stop himself. "I will meet you back."

She looked perplexed at that. "But you don't remember where you're supposed to go."

"It matters not," he insisted. "I will be there."

Martha smiled again; her legs were starting to dissipate to golden dust. "Alright... I'll see you back home, Assassin." To Lancer she said, "If our Master does not return, I'll beat you up." She fully disappeared into the air, dispersing golden dust as she did.

It was then that Assassin noticed the shadowy figures standing before them. "It would seem that we've company."

Their Master was still unconscious, but the disappearance of her Command Seals meant that she was somehow aware of what was happening.

"This wearisome child has slipped through the gaps of my fingers for far too long," the cold, silken female voice said. Her words were tenuous, as if withholding anger. Kojirō felt vaguely relieved that her cool veneer was slipping, revealing much of her presence to him.

"How lamentable, Madam Storyteller!" A jovial deep male voice exclaimed, it came from another shadow that flourished something that seemed to be a cape. "The Archer you had so much pride for had extinguished himself and failed to remove our one stumbling block!"

"Is there still any point in keeping that Master under your spell?" Kojirō recognized the Child's voice. "It's certainly not making our job any easier."

"Silence." The female voice hissed. Prana started to flock to her and the shadow started to glow a golden light. When it subsided, the shadow was no more and in its stead was a tall woman with skin just as dark as the Archer Servant. Her hair was long and black as night, accentuated by a gold chain with small white diamonds wrapped around her temples and her garments were pure white with gold trimmings and jewels sewn onto it. A translucent veil hung over her face hiding her nose and lips and accentuating a pair of blood red eyes. Assassin could not tell what kind of Servant she was, seeing that she had no weapon to speak of.

"Ho! The Storyteller now sheds her skin!"

"We're going to work now, huh..."

"So you reveal yourself at last," Lancer mentioned. The woman narrowed her eyes at him.

"Indeed I have, proud warrior. I did not think you could survive my Servant's hate, no matter how incomplete his summoning had been." She glanced at the still-unconscious Master behind the Lancer. "You Master is truly a fortunate one."

"Does this mean that you are surrendering?" He inquired, a rare mocking smirk was present on his face. The woman let out a sound that was vaguely similar to a chuckle, albeit cold and grating.

"You are mistaken, proud warrior, if you are of the belief that losing my Archer Servant will make me falter." She spread out her arms, letting the ends of her sleeves brush the littered ground. "I am the one who will grant Humanity's wish and you are mere rungs on the ladder that leads to it."

Dark tendrils emerged from her person and reached out for the fallen wooden dolls. As soon as they did, the pieces started to converge, forming misshapen limbs that were larger. Amidst it the woman spoke: "As with the myths and legends of old, the warriors saving a maiden must remove that which stands in their way: an evil witch and her familiars who seek to snuff out the flame of the maid's existence." Once the giant wooden doll was finished, other pieces of wood joined together to form a large sword that was nothing more than a similarly misshapen slab of wood, made heavy by its size.

"A sword! A sword of despair! One that has slain countless, dismembered thousands and laid waste!" The deep male voice exclaimed and as he spoke, the sword in the wooden giant's hand glowed. Kojirō, for reasons that surprised him, realized that the sword was being enchanted. "The color of obsidian blesses this weapon that crushes everything beneath it. A Champion indomitable and immovable enters the stage!"

The giant raised its weapon that turned pitch black. Assassin knew that it was highly likely that he would be crushed by the unwieldy weapon's weight and its size. Lancer seemed to share the sentiment as he dismissed his spear and grabbed the chair their Master was in. They waited for the sword's momentum to carry it down before jumping out of the way, but a weapon that size was not made for precision. If one was foolish enough to block it, he would be crushed, so evasion was the safest course of action. But even if one could evade it, its immediate effects were quite hard to contend with, as Assassin soon found out. The ground shook and what pieces of the wooden dolls that did not join the misshapen giant flew towards him. He deflected what he could with his sword, but other pieces hit him hard. He was lithe and lightly build, so as to maximize his speed, but it significantly compromised his endurance.

"Ah but the giant had a heart," the exuberant male voice turned somber and from his vantage point, Kojirō momentarily saw the female Servant wrinkle her eyebrows. He had no time to listen as the giant swept the entire floor with its sword, heading for his direction.

He managed to roll between the gaps of the enormous weapon and the sword and continued sprinting to make as much distance between him and the wooden giant. Lancer was still somewhere in the vicinity; that much he could tell. So until he returned, Kojirō had to stay alive.

Assassin had the distinct feeling that Martha would be angry if he followed her too quickly after she left.

~FGO~

Lancer found a relatively safe place to secure his Master at. The faded Command Seal on her hand assured him that she was still with them. He would not be surprised if she had been the one to supplement Rider's Noble Phantasm, allowing her to withstand Archer's attack.

Now he needed to help Assassin defeat that female Caster - as evidenced by her so called familiars and the giant she created. Perhaps then they would be able to leave. The ground shook as the wooden giant continued attacking Assassin. Karna was confident that Kojirō would be able to hold out until he came back. He called out his lance and jumped over some pieces of debris.

"Ah but the giant had a heart," he heard the once-exuberant voice say. "For even as he kills with his sword, bringing nothing but death, he remembers being truly alive once."

"Your sentiments are becoming wearisome, Playwright," the Caster said coldly. "We have come here to rid Humanity of the girl."

"Forgive me, Madam Storyteller," the one who Karna assumed had been called the Playwright said. Lancer saw Assassin rolling underneath the giant's weapon and keeping as much space between them as possible. "It would seem that even in this form, I am as Shakespeare had been."

Karna sailed through the air meeting the humongous wooden weapon. It was heavy, as expected, but it was an unpleasant surprise to realize that the giant was having no difficulties in bringing or keeping its sword up. He channeled his flaming prana to his lance, setting the sword's underside aflame. He fully expected the fire to spread over the entire sword at the very least, but it remained contained at the weapon's underside. Lancer flew back, dismissing his flames.

"Behold! Not even the flames of this mighty champion can hurt Humanity's avatar!" The Playwright exclaimed as he spread out his arms again. As if reacting to his jubilation, the giant raised its weapon again and made a downward slash for Karna. He evaded it with ease, but was blown back by the force behind it along with small chunks of wood. His armor protected him from most of it, but he knew his prana would not hold. For some reason, his prana supply was being choked; briefly he wondered if it was the reason why Rider had exhausted hers prior to arriving at the ballroom.  
With that came the inability to overwhelm the wooden giant. If the flames from his prana burst was insufficient then Lancer needed to release his Noble Phantasm. It would be his end and there was no guarantee that their Master would be safe without him.

Dancing away from the broad sword strokes, Lancer waited for a chance to strike. In a flash, he saw Assassin land on top of the wooden giant's weapon and severed what functioned as its hand from the arm. The Caster's eyes narrowed in displeasure and he could have sword he heard the Playwright chuckle in amusement.

Their foes were powerful, but he could tell that their internal strife was just as potent. The giant poised to kick Assassin, but Karna was quick to slash at its back. It gave his fellow Servant ample time to escape.

"Child, what of you?" The Caster inquired, but she might as well have snarled at him.

"Hmph. There isn't much of interest here. Besides, the Playwright is doing just fine."

The giant's severed hand collapsed into the wooden debris. Other pieces of wood started to converge again to replace the arm. Surprisingly, Karna noticed, the sword was still intact. Perhaps it was due to the Playwright's influence.

Nevertheless, he could see something they could exploit. Without warning, Karna aimed for an attack aimed at the female Caster. Her hand, which had been trained on the wooden giant, moved to block the incoming blow from Lancer's golden weapon. "To be able to block my spear is quite the accomplishment."

"Empty words, Lancer," she replied. And from the corner of his eye, he saw the wooden giant's leg coming for him. He misjudged the distance and was sent flying into and past a few several walls. If not for the armor fused with his body, his ribs would have caved in and punctured his lungs.

He heard the telltale swish of Assassin's sword and the clattering of wood on the floor. He must have removed the giant's other arm. Lancer was back on his feet immediately; prepared to finish the Caster and her giant doll once and for all.

As expected, the giant's recovery was quite slow and Caster, for one reason or another, could only make use of one of her hands for it. It did not seem as though the other two were willing to help her so Karna opted to attack the giant's feet.

"From its heart of life sprang the same life that protects," Lancer heard the Child say. "Its arms were vulnerable to be made better, but its legs were roots aged by time, made steadfast by the seasons and strengthened by resolve. Till the day comes for it to return to ashes, it will stand with legs of steel and protect its heart."

Karna frowned. Sure there was no cooperation, but it was troublesome if they'll keep pooling their efforts like this. As the Child spoke, he saw a faint film of light spreading from the giant's heart to its legs. Its arm finished forming and it picked up the fallen sword. The other arm was already being formed and Karma briefly considered other angles of attack. Assassin fell beside him, sword at the ready, though the fatigue was rather evident.

"What's our plan?"

As much as he hated to admit it, issuing orders was something he was not accustomed to. Arjuna was right; he earned much ridicule due to his status as a slave and as such, Karna did everything in life on his own, despite being taken by the hand and placed on a throne. Issuing orders and formulating plans were both domains he left to his Master, so the sensation of having to decide was unfamiliar.

"Caster can only use one of her hands to use magecraft," Lancer replied, deflecting an attack from the giant. "It seems that the other two do not directly participate in rebuilding the giant."

They jumped out of the right foot's way. A large crater was left in its wake, along with a stronger shockwave. "In other words," Kojirō started, springing away from an attack from the giant's sword, "we have to simultaneously attack Caster and her giant while expecting attacks from the other two?"

"Precisely," Karna answered. "And," he cast a glance at his fellow Servant; his legs turning translucent. "You don't seem to have much left."

Assassin gave a resigned smile. "It hardly matters. If Martha was able to release such a powerful Noble Phantasm then I would be hard-pressed to not follow her lead." He stared at the giant for a moment before declaring, "Sorry Lancer. I'll leave the giant to you."

"Understood."

~FGO~

She was all alone in that trap she was in. The chilling female voice no longer taunted her with every move of her Servants. As far as the Master could tell, she was far away from the battle. Whatever magecraft the enemy had used on her, it did not nullify her senses and so she could still hear the sounds of battle. It was slightly disconcerting how she could see the battle so clearly, but the sounds were distant.

At that point she had to wonder, was the enemy tormenting her by making her watch her Servants battle for her sake?

She supposed it could not be helped. As a Master with little to no capabilities of being a magus, she had resigned herself to the fact that her Servanrts would be fighting and she would be there, at the back; watching.

To have that thrown at her face was nothing short of mortifying.

Rider came to mind and tears pricked her eyes.

"I'm so powerless..."

Her prana supply was being restricted and she was much aware that Assassin was struggling with that as well. Soon he would vanish, just like Rider and Lancer, Karna would be next. The certainty made her feel frigid inside, like someone poured liquid ice into her veins.

"I... Don't want to be alone..."

She had been told that she was a mistake; something to be corrected. The mere recollection of it made her frustrated. Why did someone else have to decide what she was? What on earth _was_ Humanity anyway? And why did it think so highly of itself that it thought she should be eliminated?

Why did her Servants have to suffer for it?

She thought of Rider again, the Saint of the Waterside who always smiled. Tears welled in her eyes and this time, she could not really tell if it was manifesting physically.

Her heart was full of fear, disappointment, hurt and resentment. Her throat constricted at the promise of more tears and the fact that her Servants were out there, crippled but still fighting for her sake. She wanted so vehemently to break free and help them in any way she could.

Her desires spiraled and coalesced and burned like an inferno and it fought with the frigidity in her veins. She was enraged and her struggles against her bonds, no matter how futile, were renewed.

She watched as Karna zipped through the air, a blur of red and gold and white. Slowly he chipped at the wooden giant, hacking at it with the same finesse he always displayed. It was not fair. It was not fair how they forced her Servants to fight like this when she was the one Humanity, or whatever that was, had a bone to pick with. Rider did not have to exhaust herself and both Lancer and Assassin should not be going through this.

She saw, rather than heard, Assassin clash with one of the shadowy figures beside the female Servant. The Servant was occupied with regenerating lost parts of the giant as Assassin blended back into the shadows and concealed himself. The Master nearly jumped out of her seat when she saw the female Servant wave her hand and Assassin came out, his sword-arm bleeding.

"You are within my territory, Assassin," she reminded him and with another wave of her hand, Assassin was down on his knees, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "You shan't prevail here."

At the same moment, Karna succeeded in removing the giant's arm again and the Caster Servant growled, extending a hand to repair the damage. The Master willed herself to expend prana to at least heal Assassin's wounds, but was obviously unsuccessful.

And then it struck her.

She had two more Command Seals.

The first one had been used to supplement Rider's Noble Phantasm. She had no concrete proof that her desperate plan worked except for the fact that the Command Seal had disappeared and that she withstood the Archer's Noble Phantasm. At this point, she was willing to try anything to help her Servants.  
No matter how true Caster's words were, the Master was not going to take this sitting down.

"I am one of the three remaining Masters," she growled. "And I _won't_ go down without a fight."

Lancer pierced the giant's heart and the words immediately left her mouth: "Servant Assassin, Sasaki Kojirō, through this Command Seal, I ask of you: unleash your Noble Phantasm and kill the female Caster Servant!"

Caster and the other two with her worked on repairing the giant, unaware that Assassin was still capable of fighting. This time, the Master knew that her Command Seal worked, seeing that Kojirō renewed the grip he had on his sword.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, watching as Lancer delayed the giant's regeneration by repeatedly attacking its heart. "I'm sorry Assassin."

She watched him stand, brandish his sword and saw his lips move to form familiar words.

"Hidden Sword: Swallow Reversal."

Caster barely had time to react to the uttered Noble Phantasm. Assassin's strikes made contact and soon the giant collapsed. With a scream, she fell on her back, frantically trying to heal her wounds. Even though Kojirō's Noble Phantasm did not strike her core, it was still strong enough to incapacitate her.

"It would seem, Madam Storyteller, that we are not triumphant," she heard one of the shadowy figures say.

She struggled to lift her head as Assassin fell on his knees. He was slowly but surely disappearing, but a satisfied smile was on his face. "Please do not worry, Master. It was a pleasure to be your Servant." He clutched his chest and sighed. "Saint Martha and I will be awaiting your return, Master."

The Master smiled. "Of course. We'll be there in no time!"

With a final smile, Assassin disappeared.  
Karna walked towards the dying Caster Servant. She was still alive, but barely so.

"Your Master is truly... Fortunate..." she rasped, voice broken by blood spilling out of her mouth. "But my... Removal will not halt... The will of... Humanity."

The ground shook and this time, what little that was still intact started crumbling and falling apart. Lancer wobbled but still managed to stab Caster's heart. She laughed, a sound that was filled with life and warmth and _triumph._

"Nothing will... Stop me..." she declared one last tine before exploding into a flurry of golden dust. The other two shadows behind her disappeared as well, but the ground did not stop shaking.

With a loud gasp, the anomalous Master opened her eyes.

~FGO~

Lancer rushed to his Master's side, flinging away flying debris and trying to conserve what was left of his prana. He and his Master had to at least leave the castle.

When he found her, she was removing herself from the chair she was on. Without another word, he scooped her from where she sat and sailed out an open window.

Outside, it was utter darkness. Karna paused in his tracks; there was nothing there. He could not hear anything, not the crumbling of the castle they were at, or the supposed cold wind. If not for the weight of his Master in his arms, he would have doubted he was even there.

A hand came to his cheek.

"Are you okay, Karna?"

He stared at her, still clad in a dress of his brother's colors. And she looked frightened.

"I will do everything in my power to ensure we get out of here safely, Master."

She smiled and it was grim and somber. Lancer could see it plain as day even with the darkness surrounding them. He could tell something was wrong. She bore the face he once wore just before his brother struck him down with his divine arrow: resignation.

"Caster told me," she said, voice low and soft. He decided immediately that it neither suited her nor did he like it. "That I wasn't meant to be here. She told me that I was an anomaly... She told me that I was keeping the world from being fixed."

She gazed at him and despite the weight of her words, her eyes were still alive and fiery. He felt pride deep in his chest. She had not given up, even as the odds stacked heavily against her, she was still going to fight. When Karna had pledged his life to Duryodhana, it was out of gratitude. When he had been summoned for his Master, he had sworn to do his duty as her Servant. But now, he was filled with pride and joy to serve her unconditionally. She was small and frail; with no knowledge of magecraft as a means to protect herself, but she was not easily bent. He respected that immensely.

"Master, you need not pay any mind to that Servant's words. I am sure she was just trying to weaken your resolve."

Her eyes widened and she smiled; a genuine smile. The shift in her emotions, one that he had come to understand as something he already had known, comforted him. "You may be right."

"I will make sure we get back to Chaldea, Master," Lancer told her.

"I still don't remember that place you know?" His Master's voice was light and sounded very much like a memory he knew he had forgotten, but was somehow brought to the forefront of his mind.

 _"Lancer. Can_ _I_ _tell you something?"_

"I'm sure your memories will return once we get back. If not then I am sure the greatest inventor in human history will be able to do something about it," he told her.

She tilted her head, visibly unaware of what he was talking about, but still nodded. "I hope so."

"Did Caster say anything while you were under the influence of her magecraft?"

She hummed in contemplation. "No. But... Well... What she told you..." she trailed off and her eyes went to some far away distance. He could feel something in her countenance shift along with her emotions.

Karna was about to inquire about it when she moved fast, faster than he would have expected of her and with the strength he only ever saw in her eyes.

She pushed him away from her, effectively separating the two of them.

To his alarm, he was drifting further and further away from his Master. As much as he tried to move back towards her, his limbs would not obey him. Flecks of golden light danced before him as prana leaked from him. The supply his Master was supposed to give seemed to halt completely, speeding up his prana usage.

"Master...?" His eyes were large and incredulous. Betrayal was not uncommon back when he had been alive; they had been at war after all and no tactic was considered too low for those who had everything to lose. Kunti's abandonment of him, Draupadi's scorn, Indra's trickery and Arjuna's attack all paled against the twisting inside his chest the moment the Hero of Charity realized that he was the one being _spared._

Karna never wished that he was unable to discern another's motives as much as he did.

"That's right. I'm your Master, aren't I?" She said resolutely and in a firm voice; he wished she did not sound like that. It would have made the certainty of his return to Chaldea more bearable.

"So it's my duty to make sure my Servants are protected."

He wanted to refute her words. She was one of the remaining three Masters that will save the world. And he, as her Servant was to make sure she achieved it, not to watch her slowly fade from his eyes.

Lancer grit his teeth. From the records at the Throne of Heroes, he knew that Duryodhana had not succeeded in taking the throne and it saddened him quite a bit, but he accepted their defeat. But he supposed he was quite fortunate, not needing to watch his lord's fall; the others probably did not have the same luxury.  
Ideally, in a Grail war, the Servant's death also spelled the Master's death. But that was not the case in this situation. He would return to Chaldea but his Master's fate would be uncertain.

Karna was leaving his Master to uncertainty.

"Master!" His legs had already disappeared and he was likely wasting what little he had left of his prana. But it mattered little to him. The Hero of Charity, inarticulate with his feelings he may be, _had_ to let her know.

" _I_ _like you. I_ _really do."_

"I swear I will find a way to bring you to Chaldea!"

 _"Ah! Was that too sudden? Well don't mind me! I_ _guess_ _I'm_   _just really excited that I_ _got a_ _powerful Servant like you."_

"I will fulfill my promise to Rider and make sure you're safely back!" He was quickly fading, quickly losing prana and his Master's visage was blurring along the edges. She was barely visible to him anymore, just an incoherent jumble of cream and royal blue and soon even that was swallowed by the darkness.

_"You're so dependable you know?"_

Karna winced as his mind became fuzzy as he stared at the gradually shrinking shape of his Master. Her face was being replaced by static blanks and the sound of her voice was slowly being distorted until it became unintelligible.

"Yeah. I'll be waiting."

Opening his eyes, he saw her smile and the tears that ran down the expanse of her cheeks.

**Author's Note:**

> I took a LOT of liberty in tweaking this but here is an explanation regarding the antagonists:
> 
> I know you've probably guessed who they are, but they are NOT the real ones. To put it into words they're copies of the real thing, but less faithful to the originals, giving them abilities that the originals normally would not have.
> 
> I'm not so well-versed in the Fate universe in general thus the liberties. I would very much like to hear what the readers think though. So please leave feedback as it will inspire and encourage me to do better.
> 
> See you in between the pages again! :)


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